Alumni Profile: Melissa Mormilo, Civil Engineering '00

Engineers make the world go 'round. UAA alumna Melissa Mormilo '00 (PE, LEED AP, AK-CESCL, CDT) is a part of that movement.

Born into an Air Force family in Arizona, Melissa moved around frequently as a child. She and her family came to Alaska in 1982, left for Ohio in 1986 and returned to Alaska for good in 1990.

Melissa graduated from Bartlett High School in 1995. She graduated in the top of her class and qualified for a scholarship that paid for her first two years at UAA. Though she was originally thinking about going to college Outside, Melissa's father encouraged her to attend UAA.

Like many high school graduates, Melissa wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life. "I fell into engineering, really," she said. Her father suggested that she give engineering a shot, so she did. "I ended up liking it."

Melissa has fond memories of her time with the UAA School of Engineering. She said there were a lot of late night study groups and that her peers became like family. "We were a team of students trying to figure things out together," Melissa said. "I really ended up liking UAA. Classes were small and I got to know my professors. The faculty help connect students with internships and jobs." Melissa still stays in touch with some of her professors and classmates to this day.

Melissa completed an internship with a construction company during her senior year at UAA. "I worked long hours, but I learned a lot," she said. "Seeing the 'construction side' of engineering was important for me because it improved my perspective on design."

She earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from UAA in 2000 and accepted a job with local engineering firm DOWL HKM, where she worked for nearly 10 years. In September 2009, she decided that it was time for a change and left DOWL HKM for Enterprise Engineering Inc. She now works as a project manager and focuses on civil site design.

"I design the stuff that nobody thinks about," she said jokingly. But she's responsible for vitally important pieces of the puzzle. Melissa considers a site's geotechnical foundation and designs a structure's sidewalks and drainage, water and sewage systems. She also works with the Municipality of Anchorage to ensure that the proper permitting is in place before a project begins.

As an alumna of UAA, Melissa is doing her part to make sure her alma mater continues to grow. She's played an integral part in designing several buildings on UAA's campus, including the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program Building, the Ecosystem-Biomedical Health Laboratory, and the new ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building and Parking Garage. "It's cool to have gone to UAA and now work on UAA projects," she said. "To drive around and see projects that I've worked on makes Anchorage feel more like home. I take pride in what I do."

Melissa stays busy as a professional engineer, but she also finds time to lead the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Greatland Section, Alaska's only professional section of the international organization. As the chapter's president, Melissa is responsible for upholding the organization's mission to stimulate women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders; expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving quality of life; and demonstrate the value of diversity.

To honor her father who passed away last year, Melissa teamed up with her mother and sister to create a student scholarship in his name through the SWE Greatland Section. The SWE Greatland Scholarship offers one $1,000 scholarship and two $500 scholarships to young women in Alaska who are high school seniors planning to pursue a degree in engineering.

Melissa's sister, Stephanie, is also an alumna of the UAA School of Engineering. She graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and currently works as a transportation engineer for DOWL HKM. She's also active in SWE Greatland Section as the secretary.

Besides providing scholarship support and professional development opportunities, SWE Greatland Section also participates in several outreach activities, including Engineers Week, which takes place every year in February. The event, sponsored by the UAA School of Engineering and the Anchorage Area National Engineers Week Steering Committee, is intended to expose students to the engineering profession and to provide educational opportunities for students who may have the aptitude and/or desire to become engineers. SWE Greatland Section sponsored the Egg Drop competition this year. "It's fun to share engineering with young people and spark their interest," said Melissa.

For her dedication to the engineering profession, Melissa was awarded a 2010 "Top 40 Under Forty" award, presented by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and Alaska Journal of Commerce to recognize Alaska's top professionals, younger than age 40, who have demonstrated professional excellence and a commitment to their community. Melissa was honored at an awards luncheon on Jan. 14, 2010 at the Dena'ina Center in downtown Anchorage.